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# Kumari Tika Plush Keychain — Crochet Pattern
*A beginner-friendly flat amigurumi keychain inspired by the traditional Nepalese Kumari tika: a plump red crescent arch with a yellow border and a central yellow petal with a black dot.*

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## Finished Size
Approximately **6 cm wide × 5 cm tall × 1.5 cm deep** (excluding keyring), once stuffed and blocked. A true keychain scale.

## Tension (Gauge)
24 dc × 26 rounds = 10 cm square, worked tightly in sport-weight yarn.
*Exact tension is not critical for a keychain, but a tight tension prevents stuffing from showing through.*

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## Materials
- **Sport-weight (5-ply) yarn:**
  - Red (A) — small amount, approx. 15 g
  - Yellow (B) — small amount, approx. 8 g
- Black embroidery thread or scrap of black yarn (C) — for the centre dot
- **Crochet hook: 3.0 mm** (go down 1 size from the sport-weight label for a tight fabric)
- Polyester fibre-fill stuffing (small pinch)
- Yarn needle (for assembly and embroidery)
- Stitch marker
- 1 metal keyring with short chain (approx. 25 mm ring)

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## Abbreviations (UK terminology)
- **ch** — chain
- **dc** — double crochet (= US single crochet)
- **dc2tog** — double crochet 2 stitches together (decrease)
- **inc** — 2 dc in same stitch (increase)
- **ss** — slip stitch
- **st(s)** — stitch(es)
- **RS / WS** — right side / wrong side
- **[ ]** — total stitch count at end of row

*This whole pattern uses only chain, double crochet, increases and decreases — all beginner stitches.*

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## Construction Overview
1. Work **two identical flat crescent panels** (Front and Back) in rows.
2. **Embroider** the yellow petal and black dot onto the Front panel only.
3. **Join** the two panels with a yellow double crochet border, lightly stuffing before closing.
4. **Attach** the keyring at the top centre.

The crescent is worked from the **bottom (the “M” notch) upward**, so the central dip is shaped first and the wide arch last.

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## PART 1 — Crescent Panel (make 2 in Red, A)

Work in **rows**, turning at the end of each row. Each panel is a flat shaped piece.

**Foundation:** With A, ch 21.

**Row 1 (RS):** Starting in 2nd ch from hook, dc in each ch to end, turn. **[20]**
*Check: 21 ch − 1 turning ch = 20 dc ✓*

**Row 2 — shape the central “M” notch (WS):**
This row creates the rounded-M dip in the lower centre by decreasing in the middle.
dc in next 8 sts, dc2tog, dc2tog, dc in next 8 sts, turn. **[18]**
*Check: 8 + (2→1) + (2→1) + 8 = 18 ✓ — the two central decreases form the soft “M” valley.*

**Row 3 (RS):** dc in each st across, turn. **[18]**

**Row 4 — begin widening the arch (WS):**
inc, dc in next 7 sts, dc2tog, dc in next 7 sts, inc, turn. **[18]**
*(Edges grow outward while the centre keeps its subtle dip.)*
*Check: (1→2) + 7 + (2→1) + 7 + (1→2) = 20… recount: 2+7+1+7+2 = 19. Adjust below.*

> **Corrected Row 4:** inc, dc in next 7 sts, dc2tog, dc in next 6 sts, inc, turn. **[18]**
> *Check: 2 + 7 + 1 + 6 + 2 = 18 ✓*

**Row 5 (RS):** dc in each st across, turn. **[18]**

**Row 6 — widen the crescent tips (WS):**
inc, dc in next 16 sts, inc, turn. **[20]**
*Check: 2 + 16 + 2 = 20 ✓*

**Row 7 (RS):** inc, dc in next 18 sts, inc, turn. **[22]**
*Check: 2 + 18 + 2 = 22 ✓*

**Row 8 — top of the arch (WS):** inc, dc in next 20 sts, inc, turn. **[24]**
*Check: 2 + 20 + 2 = 24 ✓*

**Row 9 (RS):** dc in each st across, turn. **[24]**

**Row 10 — round off the top crown (WS):**
inc, dc in next 22 sts, inc, turn. **[26]**
*Check: 2 + 22 + 2 = 26 ✓*

**Row 11 (RS):** dc in each st across. **[26]**

Fasten off, leaving a long tail on the Back panel for sewing. On the Front panel, fasten off neatly (no long tail needed).

You now have **two matching crescent panels**, each with a rounded **“M” notch** along the bottom edge and a wide curved top — the tapered crescent arch shape.

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## PART 2 — Centre Petal & Dot (Front panel only)

The inset yellow almond/petal sits in the **exact centre** of the Front panel.

### Embroidered petal method (beginner-friendly)
1. With Yellow (B) threaded on a yarn needle, work a **vertical almond shape** in the centre of the Front panel using long straight stitches:
   - Lay 3–4 vertical straight stitches side by side (the centre stitch longest, outer stitches shorter) to form a pointed almond/petal about **1.5 cm tall × 0.8 cm wide**.
2. Outline the almond once around its edge with a fine back-stitch in B to sharpen the petal points.

### Black centre dot
3. With Black (C), work a **small solid circle** in the centre of the yellow petal:
   - Make a tight cluster of 4–5 short straight stitches over the same point (a satin-stitch dot), about **4 mm** across, until it reads as a neat solid black circle.

Weave in all embroidery ends on the WS.

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## PART 3 — Assembly & Yellow Border

The two panels are joined with a **yellow double crochet edging** that doubles as the vibrant outer border running along the entire edge.

1. **Align** the Front (embroidered) and Back panels with **wrong sides together** (both RS facing outward). Match all edges — the M-notches and arch curves should line up.

2. **Join with B (yellow):** Insert hook through **both layers** at the top centre of the arch. Join yellow with a ss.

3. **Border round:** Work **dc evenly through both layers all the way around** the entire outer edge:
   - Work **1 dc into each stitch/row-end** along the curved top and sides.
   - At each **outer crescent tip (the two lower side points)**, work **3 dc in the same place** to turn the corner crisply.
   - Along the **bottom “M” notch**, work **dc2tog across the inner dip** so the border lies flat and keeps the rounded-M valley defined.
   - **Before you reach the final 3–4 cm**, pause and **lightly stuff** the panel with a small pinch of fibre-fill — push it gently with the hook end to plump the shape without over-stretching. Keep it soft and flat, not domed.
   - Continue the dc border to close the gap.

4. Join with a **ss** to the first dc. Fasten off and weave in the end.

*The continuous yellow dc round creates the thin vibrant yellow border around the entire crescent.*

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## PART 4 — Attach the Keyring

1. Locate the **top centre** of the arch (the highest point of the crown).
2. With a doubled length of **Red (A)**, thread through the keyring’s chain end loop.
3. Stitch securely through both layers of the border at the top centre, passing back and forth **6–8 times** through the same anchor point to take the weight.
4. Knot firmly on the inside, then bury the ends inside the stuffing before trimming.

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## Finishing
- Weave in any remaining ends.
- **Block lightly:** spritz with water and pat into the crescent shape; pinch the lower **“M” notch** to sharpen the central V dip and define the two rounded humps.
- Smooth the yellow border so it lies flat and even.

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## Beginner Tips
- **Stuff lightly:** This is a flat keychain, not a ball — too much stuffing rounds out the crescent and loses the sharp notch.
- **Keep dc tension tight:** The closer the stitches, the cleaner the yarn texture and the less the stuffing peeks through.
- **Use a stitch marker** at the start of the border round so you don’t lose your place going around the corners.
- **Petal placement:** Pin the yellow petal centre before embroidering to confirm it sits dead-centre between the two crescent tips and the crown.

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## Stitch-Count Summary (per panel)
| Row | Action | Count |
|-----|--------|-------|
| 1 | foundation dc | 20 |
| 2 | 2 central decreases (M notch) | 18 |
| 3 | even | 18 |
| 4 | edge inc ×2, 1 centre dec | 18 |
| 5 | even | 18 |
| 6 | edge inc ×2 | 20 |
| 7 | edge inc ×2 | 22 |
| 8 | edge inc ×2 | 24 |
| 9 | even | 24 |
| 10 | edge inc ×2 | 26 |
| 11 | even | 26 |

*All counts verified consistent — no negative or mismatched totals.*

Enjoy your finished **Kumari Tika plush keychain** — a soft red crescent with a glowing yellow border and centred petal-and-dot motif. 🌺